Ch. 3: Signed

Leonhardt Dietrich's point of view

“Settle down or lose your inheritance.”

Those were the exact words my father spat as he tossed a crystal glass across the room. Scotch stained the Persian rug. My mother stood behind him, arms folded, face blank, 'yung kaliwang mata niya, kumikibot. Palatandaan 'yon ng inis niya na hindi niya kayang itago.

“This isn’t a fucking request,” she added, cold as ever. “You’re not a child anymore, Leonhardt. The Board wants security. Stability. Not a heartbroken heir with a knife for a smile.”

Heartbroken? Tangina. Wala silang alam.

My jaw tensed. “So, ganito na lang? Emotional blackmail para lang manatili ako sa business?”

“Don’t flatter yourself. There’s nothing emotional about it,” Father snapped. “You either marry someone who doesn’t destroy our reputation, or you walk away with nothing.”

At syempre, binanggit pa talaga nila si Ashley. Not literally, though. Yung ex na gusto nilang ibalik sa buhay ko.

“Why not call Ashley?” I snapped, voice like steel. “She’s always been your favorite.”

My mother’s eyes narrowed. “You destroyed that bridge. Maybe it’s time you rebuilt it.”

Napatawa ako, pero walang saya sa tawa ko. Fix? Mas gugustuhin ko pang sunugin ang lahat ng 'to. Hindi nila alam ang buong kwento. Paano niya ako ginamit. Paano niya sinira ang tiwala ko. Yung mga salitang 'mahal kita' na sinundan ng pagsaksak sa likod.

“No,” I gritted my teeth with finality. “I’m done chasing ghosts.”

There was silence. So heavy. Judging my soul too. My father stared me down with the same eyes I inherited, cold, unrelenting.

“So who then?” tanong ni Papa. “Name someone. Dahil kung hindi, kami ang pipili para sa’yo.”

May sagot na ako. Hindi ko lang sinabi agad.

Ingrid Alessia Romano.

Not because I wanted her. Hell, I didn’t even like her. But she was clean. Powerful. Unattached. Cold enough to play the part. Emotionless enough not to get in my way. A ready contract. She's like a shield. A silent war truce with benefits. I’d take the cage if it meant staying in control.

Hours later, I watched her name materialize beside mine on a marriage contract drafted by three of the best corporate lawyers in the country.

Hindi ko pa siya nakikita, pero alam ko na kung anong itsura ng reaction niya. Syempre magulat at walang magagawa. Parang tinulak ko na rin siya sa bangin. She didn’t get to say yes. She didn’t have to. I already made the choice for both of us.

The night after the papers were delivered, I stood in my private study, the city glittering through floor-to-ceiling glass.

Dapat ba akong matuwa? Makaramdam ng tagumpay? Pero ang totoo, pagod ako. The past crept in like poison. Pilit sumasagi sa isip ko si Ashley. Yung halik niya. Yung mga kasinungalingang binulong niya habang yakap ako.

Yung betrayal na dinisenyo niya habang nakangiti. She called it business. I called it hell. Now I didn’t do soft. I didn’t do sweet. I did strategy. I did survive.

At si Ingrid? She fits. She was fire, yes, but caged fire. Proud, smart, but predictable when cornered. Hindi siya yung tipo na magtataksil habang nakangiti. Kung may sasabihin siya, diretso. Kung may lalabanan siya, harapan. She’d glare at me across a dinner table and tell me to go to hell before she ever tried to ruin me quietly. At least alam ko kung saan manggagaling ang suntok.

The next day, my phone buzzed.

Mother: “She signed.”

Of course, she did. What other option did she have? I stared at the P*F copy sent to my inbox. Her signature was neat. Sharp. Bold at the start, then trailing off like a scream swallowed halfway through.

I knew that look in a name. That was the handwriting of a woman who just lost control over her life. Good. Mas madali para sa akin kung tanggap na niya ang laro. Pero may parte sa akin na kumirot. Dahil alam ko rin 'yan. Alam ko kung paano ang pakiramdam na mapirmahan ang sarili mo sa hawlang hindi mo pinili.

I scrolled back up, eyes landing on the bold header:

MARRIAGE CONTRACT – LEONHARDT DIETRICH MORETTI & INGRID ALESSIA ROMANO

I closed the file, jaw locked.

Later that night, I visited the Romano estate. I didn’t ask for permission. Pumasok ako na parang may-ari. At sa totoo lang, sa puntong ito, parang ganoon na nga.

Her father met me at the door, all politeness and fake warmth. Her mother offered me wine I didn’t touch. Ingrid didn’t come down to greet me. She didn’t need to. I wasn’t here for greetings. I was here to remind everyone what was at stake.

“Two weeks,” I stated. “Engagement shoot muna. Then press announcement will follow.”

“And the wedding?” her father asked, eyes cautious.

“End of the quarter. Sakto sa tax season.” He laughed, but it didn’t reach his eyes. We both knew this wasn’t about love. This was about leverage. The power. And the debt to collect. 'Yun lang naman ang pinunta ko ng personal. Ang swerte na nga nila at ako na ang gumawa nun.

Umalis akong hindi siya nakita. Hindi dahil ayokong makita siya. Kung hindi dahil baka makita ko ‘yung galit sa mata niya. O mas masahol, baka makita ko ‘yung sakit. At ‘pag nakita ko ‘yon, baka maalala ko kung paano din ako nawasak noon.

I drove through the city at midnight, windows down, the cold wind slapping my face.

My phone buzzed again. A message from Ashley. I didn’t open it. As expected. She always knew when to crawl out of the dark. Like clockwork.

Tinapon ko lang ang phone sa passenger seat at tumutok sa kalsada and gripped the steering wheel tighter. Hindi na ito tungkol sa nakaraan. Bahala na siya sa buhay niya.

Kay Ingrid na dapat ako nakatutok. She’s the last piece I need to keep this empire intact. She's not my partner. Also not my lover. Just a contract and I'll own her with that. But as I parked in my garage and killed the engine, one thought stayed. I just signed her into a cage. At ang mas malala? Pumasok ako sa kulungan na ‘yon kasama siya.